6th/7th (Volunteer) Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment
|branch = *The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment|type = Light Infantry|role = Territorial Defence|size = Battalion|command_structure = 2nd (Southeast) Infantry Brigade|garrison_label = Battalion Headquarters|garrison = Horsham, Sussex}}The 5th (Volunteer) Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment was a territorial army infantry battalion of The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment that was formed following the re-designation and amalgamation of elements of two TA units. History QUEENS The 6th/7th (V) Battalion of The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment trace its history back to the 6th/7th (V) Battalion, The Queen's Regiment formed in the 70s following the 1975 Mason Review.Wienand Drenth, p. 82 In 1975 the Mason Review government white paper was announced which reduced the size of the Territorial Army and Volunteer Reserve (TAVR) into a smaller force and was renamed in 1979 as the Territorial Army (TA). Following these reforms the former three TA battalions were reduced to just two; 5th (V) Battalion and 6th/7th (V) in addition to the regular three regular battalions. On 1 April 1975 the former two 6th (V) and 7th (V) battalions were amalgamated and the new battalion was organised as follows; * Battalion Headquarters & Headquarters Company, Horsham (from HQ Co, 7 QUEENS) * A Company, Farnham (from A Co, 7 QUEENS) * B Company, Horney (from merger of D Co, 5 QUEENS) ** Edgware Platoon (from A Co, 6 QUEENS) * C Company, Crawley (from C Co, 7 QUEENS) ** Haywards Heath * D Company, Wandsworth (from HQ Co, 6 QUEENS) ** Camberwell Platoon (from C (London and Kent, RA) Battery, 6 QUEENS)Litchfield, p. 160 ** Sutton Platoon (from D (Queen Mary's Surrey Yeomanry) Battery, 6 QUEENS)Litchfield, p. 222 PWRR In 1992 the Options for Change was announced following the end of the Cold War and concurrent Fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. These changes completely disbanded the British Army of the Rhine and 1st (British) Corps both based in West Germany.Drenth, p. 77T.F. Mills, 6th/7th (V) Battalion, The Queen's Regiment and The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 1975-1999 archived on 10 November 2007 On 9 September 1992 the 6th/7th (Volunteer) Battalion, The Queen's Regiment and elements of the 2nd Battalion, The Wessex Regiment were merged to form the new 6th/7th (Volunteer) Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. Following their formation, the battalion was organised as follows; * Battalion Headquarters and Headquarters (Alamein) Company, Horsham, Sussex (Merger between HQ and C Companies of 6th/7th QUEENS) ** General Purpose Machine-Gun (Support Fire) Platoon, Crawley, Sussex * A (Salerno) Company, Farnham, Surrey (From A Company 6th/7th QUEENS) * B (Somme) Company, Brighton, Sussex (From B Company 6th/7th QUEENS) * C (The Duke of Connaught's) Company, Portsmouth, Hampshire (Merger between A and B Companies 2 WESSEX) ** 9 (Princess Beatrice's Isle of Wight Rifles) Platoon, Newport, Isle of Wight On 1 July 1999 the battalion was disbanded as a result of the 1998 Strategic Defence Review which dramatically reduced the size of the Territorial Army. On this date the following happened; A and B Companies transferred as A (Queen's Royal Surreys) and B (Royal Sussex) Companies in the new 3rd (Volunteer) Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment and C Company re-designated as C (The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment) Company in the new Royal Rifle Volunteers. Under the Army 2020 Refine, the battalion was moved under command of 7th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters East as a reserve infantry battalion paired with 1 R ANGLIAN. Citations References * Wienand Drenth, The Territorial Army 1967-2000 (pdf). at orbat85.nl * Norman E.H. Litchfield, The Territorial Artillery 1908–1988 (Their Lineage, Uniforms and Badges), Nottingham: Sherwood Press, 1992, ISBN 0-9508205-2-0 Category:Battalions of the British Army Category:Military units and formations established in 1992 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1999 Category:Territorial infantry battalions of the British Army Category:Territorial battalions of The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment Category:Battalions of The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment